Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-07-07
he foul mlasma steanng among ana over

the fouI nlasma sueanng among ana over
coming the fragrance Of the roses.
TO Pettrie the fever came first and vio-
lently. There was no mistaking the fast
ening of the fangs of the yellow fever SER
Dent upon his heart, no possibility of his
escape from swift and horrid doom. It
needed no physician to tell him this. He
had seen enough to know that his days,
even hours, wero very few, that whatever
be would do must be done quietly.
ssOld friend, tried and true companion, -
he said to his brother lieutenant, stthe
curse we so sadly anticipated has come.
and upon you viii fall the fulfillment Of
our oath. It is too late for me to write.
to say more than few words, but should
YOU live (which pray to heaven may be
the case) tell her-you know who-that
nv last thoughts were of her, my last
PRAYERS for her, my last blessing on her
dear name One thing more before the
burning hell within my breast, the horrible
anguish within my brain, roDs NE of con-
seriousness. In my trunk is package Of
letters. Bring them to me. Thanks.
Now for your oath. When I am gone
promise, swear, that you will burn them
be found in the ashes
II swear it by all my hopes of life, by
all my hopes of mercy in the hereafter, !"
raised to heaven.
ssYou think they are the secrets of love,
but a thousandfold more is hidden within
them Given to the world, they would
not be understood and would compromise,
perhaps ruin many. Burn them, and my
blessing be upon you; fail to do so and the
curses of the dead, have they power to
curse, will fall upon YOU"
81 have promised, sworn and will net
fall
An hour later the young lieutenant had
gone to answer the call of the numberless
army beyond the skies. With his own
hands his friend and comrade was forced
to encoffin his form. Assisted by heav-
lily bribed colored man, it was carried to
the last resting place of earth and buried
with single, silent prayer.
Poor fellowr' sighed his former COM
panion as he sat in his qua tiers with the
shadows of evening gathering around 81
did all possible for him, buried him be-
meath the shade, the blossoms and the per-
fumes he loved. All me! l may be the
next to follow; and should we meet on the
gold and jeweled parade ground of heaven
l can stand before him with an unshamed
face, for 1 have faithfully done my duty
to him and kept my OATH"
In the sorrowful excitement of death
and burial he had entirely forgotten the
package of letters. 1t lay upon the table
where he had placed 1.-THE most i'm
portant part of all intrusted to him neg
lected.
AS the shadows deepened and the night
wind stole in laden with honey sweetness
that was sickening, his ear caught the
sound of light fOotstep. He challenged
the intruder, but received no answer,
looked up almost angrily at his privacy
being disturbed and saw
Moon and starlight so filled the room
that every object was plainly to be distin-
guished, and standing by the table, with
one hand resting upon the package of let
tiers, and dressed even as he had been
buried in his uniform, was his dead
friend!
Doubling the evidence of his senses, ia
convince himself that he was not dream.
ing, he arose and concentrated all his
powers of vision upon the single object.
AS certainly as he had ever been he was
awake; as surely as ever he saw mortal
the form was that of Pettrie, and upon
the face rested a sorrowful froWn.
81 understand" johnson exclaimed in.
voluntarily, "and will fulfill my oath tc
the uttermOst.
The frown changed to smile, the eyes
were lighted, the hand was raised from
the package of letters to Heaven, and the
figure slowly faded away.
Thrilled, dazed, not in the least fearing
but driven by an overmastering impulse
the lieutenant arose, kindled a fire, seated
himself before it and burned the letters
one by one, even stirring the ashes tt
make q complete amalgamation with those
of the wood.
1t had grown late before he finished
but, restless and nervous, he could moi
sleep. He had fulfilled all that could
possibly be required, and yet was not sat
istied. The face and figure of his dead
friend haunted him. He must know il
his rest was unbroken, if lie slept as he
had left him beneath the wilderness Of
bloom of roses and the tangle sprays Of
myrtle.
With the single feeling of reverence hi
went out into the night, treaded the de.
serted parade ground, passed the Limit
and stood by the newly made grave. AL
was silence and peace. The breeze
scarcely swung the bells Of the trumpet
flower or scattered the perfume Of the
jasmine.
With sigh of intense relief he was
about to retrace his steps, when he heard
his name distinctly called. He looked
again and saw, even as he had done il
life, the form, the uniform of Charles
Pettrie. The pose was military one, the
eyes looked tenderly and thankfully, the
lips were parted with a smile, there was
the customary salute and the spirit SEM
blance, the 'astral BODY slowly sank
within the grave and never again ap-
peared to the eyes Of the wondering man.
The fulfllment of the oath had severed
the mysterious chain that linked together
the dead and the living.
Only well authenticated facts have been given
in the above sketch. No attempt at explanation
has been made, but who will question that there
ARE mental experiences, mysterious, indefnable
which suggest the action upon us of conscious,
intelligent powers? William II. Bushnell in